Albert a



U ITED STATES A-TENT OFFICE.

ALBERT A. COHEN, OF YEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FOR FE EDIN G CARDBOARD, 80C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,839, dated May 26,1896.

Application filed August 15,1893. Serial No. 483,173- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT A. COHEN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines forFeeding Cardboard, &c., of which the fol lowing is a specification.

\[y invention relates to machines for feeding cardboard, paper, andother material.

The main object of my invention is to fix, govern, or regulate the feedof a material, advanced step by step, so that the places or points atwhich the material is to be operated upon successively may be broughtaccurately to the required locality each time. My object is accomplishedby cutting, notching, slitting, perforating, indenting, embossing, orotherwise physically altering the material at predetermined points toform shoulders, abutments, or engaging portions, and in subsequentlyacting upon the same during the feeding operation of the material insuch a manner as to bring the portion to be operated upon each timeprecisely where it is Wanted. This is the foundation or underlyingprinciple of my several improvements, which may be carried out indifferent ways and by an infinite variety of means or machines. Theengaging portions of the material may be employed either to positivelyarrest the material at predetermined times during a feeding movement oras a means whereby the material may be positively carried or moved arequired distance. In either case when the material has been fed thenecessary distance or to the desired extent it may then be subj ected tothe required operation or treatment. For instance, the material may befed along and, by the engagement of a finger or other suitable devicewith the shoulders or stops formed by the cutting or other process, thenpositively arrested at the desired time and while thus held subjected toa cutting, printing, or other desired operation, after which it may bemovedalong farther until the next stop formation in the material isengaged by the finger or other equivalent arresting device; or, insteadof thus proceeding, the material may be moved to a finger, the latterthen engaged with the cut or shoulder, and the material then moved alongby positive engagement with the finger. In this case the finger wouldact a carrier and to deliver the material to the desired device or atthe required locality. hen thus delivered, the material may be subjectedto any desired operation or treatment. For example, a portion of it maybe cutoff, or printed or stamped upon, or the feed thus made may be forthe purpose of delivering the material accurately and uniformly to ameans which is to take the material to another or farther point for adesired operation or treatment.

I have practiced my'invention in the way last alluded tothat is to say,the material having the engaging portions formed therein is first fed tobe engaged by fingers which convey the material to a carriage, and thiscarriage then feeds the material to the devices which are to act uponit.

I have applied my invention to the art of manufacturing playing-cards,to which art brief reference will now be made in order that my inventionand its importance and utility may be more fully understood.

All of the cards to constitute the pack are printed upon a single sheetof cardboard and in columns or rows. The faces of the cards are printedfirst, and then the backs are printed inregister with the faces. Thesheet is then put through various processes to obtain the requiredpolish or finish, in the course of which the sheet is dampened and driedseveral times and subjected to the pressure of calendering-rolls. Thesenecessary operations cause the sheets to expand irregularly, so thatsome of them are a quarter of an inch, more or less, larger than others.The sheets are then cut into strips of six or more cards to the strip,and owing to the expansion the cards in each strip .will vary indistance from each other, the variation increasing from the center tothe ends of the strip. These strips must be cut up into individualcards, and to produce perfect cards the designs must come centrally uponeach severed card; or, in other words, the margin surrounding the designon the back of the card must be uniform or alike on each card of thepack. Owing cards.

pursued in cutting the cards into individuals. One is known as thehand-feed, which involves the use of a gage, feed-rollers gearedtogether and provided one with a crank, and a punch or knife. The stripis passed between the pair of feedrollers, and by one or morerevolutions of the crank the strip is fed the required distance, theoperator endeavoring to bring a given point each time in alinement withthe gage. The punch or knife is then brought down and the foremost cardout off. \Vhile with exceeding care, involving great eye-strain, cardsmay by this method be properly cut off, the operation is necessarilyslow and expensive, and can be performed accurately only by one havingthe long experience and training necessary to become capable or expert.Even with such a person errors of cut frequently occur. In order toovercome the objections of the hand-feed, the second method, known asthe automatic feed, was devised, in which the strips are first hand-fedto a gage and thereafter automatically fed step by step, one movementfor each card, until all of the cards have been punched out from thestrip. This method as heretofore practiced, while speedier and cheaperthan the first, still involves the ob jection of the improper cutting ofthe cards, for in the machines thus far made for this purpose the stripis fed an equal distance each time, and since the cards are not equallyspaced on the strip, as explained, they cannot be cut out so that thedesign will come centrally of each card or so that the cards will haveuniform margins on their sides.

By my improvements the strip may be automatically fed and the cardsproperly severed therefromthat is to say, with the design or printedmatter on each card centrally of the sides thereof; and by myimprovements the sheets may also be divided into strips with uniform topand bottom margins.

I shall confine the following description more particularly to my novelmeans for severin g strips into individual cards.

My improvements consist in certain features of construction andcombinations of devices, all as Will be hereinafter more fullydescribed,-and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, representingmy several improvements,Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a printing-press in whichthe sheets are printed and simultaneously cut or slitted at the properlocalities. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the form removed from the bed ofthe press. Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation of one of the slittingknives or implements. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the same, taken atthe line 2 z of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the back of a sheetafter having been printed and cut or slitted, the design on the back ofone card only being shown in order to avoid confusion and to simplifythe work. Fig. 6 is a similar View, enlarged, of one of the strips cutfrom a sheet such as shown at Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan of partof a strip with designs on the backs of the cards. Fig. 8 is a plan ofthe back of a card properly punched or cut out from the strip. Fig. 9 isan end elevation of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 10 is a frontView thereof, the legs being broken off. Fig. 11 is a top plan viewthereof with the punch, band-pulley, main shaft, support therefor, andsome of the upper gearing removed. Fig. 12 is an enlarged partialperspective to show more particularly the feeding mechanism. Fig. 13 isa perspective view of one of the strip-carrying fingers and the lever orarm by which it is vibrated. Fig. 14. is a side elevation of thecarriage which takes each card to the punch. Fig. 15 is a similar viewwith the movable parts in another po sition. Fig. 16 is a perspectiveview of the carriage and appurtenances,omitting the rods for moving thecarriage. Fig. 17 is a partial perspective of the rear inner side of thecarriage. Fig. 18 is an enlarged vertical section illustrating thefeeding operation at one stage. Fig. 19 is a similar view illustratingsaid operation at another stage. Fig. 20 is a vertical cross-section ofone of the side guides. Fig. 21 is a plan View of the same. Fig. 22 is avertical section of the means by which certain adjustments of thecarriage may be effected, said means being part of the mechanism bywhich the carriage is connected to the crank-shaft. Figs. 23 to 29 aredetail views showing various steps in the feeding and cuttingoperations. Fig. 30 is a perspective view of the stripper.

In the various views the same parts will be found designated by the sameletters and nu.- merals of reference.

a, b, c, and 01 represent, respectively, the bed, inking-rolls,impression-cylinder, and feed-board of a printing-press, and e a formmounted upon said bed and comprising a series of independent blocks f,preferably electrotypes, disposed in rows, and a series of steel strips9, having knives 72,, arranged between adjacent rows and on the outersides of the first and last rows of the blocks, the whole being properlysecured within a chase '6. Each block contains a design-as j, forinstance-such as it may be desired to print upon the back of the card.For convenience I have shown only one design, but it will of course beunderstood that each block may contain a similar design and that thedesignpatterns may vary in accordance with the desire of themanufacturer. The knives or cutters h are formed at equal distancesapart on the strip 9, and in the case shown are spaced from center tocenter a distance equal to the length of each block. The blocks be ingof equal dimensions, the knives occupy positions at the corners of theblocks and extend past the top and bottom edges of the blocks, thecenter of each knife coinciding with either the top or bottom edge orline of its respective block.

IIO

represents a sheet of cardboard after having been acted upon in thepress by the form e. A plain sheet of cardboard is fed to the grippersof the impression-cylinder, as shown, and is carried around to meet thereciprocating bed containing the form, as in ordinary cylinder-presswork, and is simultaneously subjected to the action of the inkedelectrotypes, whereby the backs of the connected cards are printed, andto the action of the cutting or slitting knives 72.. In the exampleshown I represents the printed design, (only one of which is shown forconvenience,) and m the cuts or slits made bythe knives h. From aninspection of Fig. 5 it will be observed that flfty-six cards in thisinstance are printed at one operation and are arranged in seventransverse rows and eight longitudinal rows or columns. By a guillotineor other suitable cutter the sheet 76 is severed transversely along thedotted lines a to form seven strips containing each eight cards. One ofsaid strips is shown enlarged at Fig. 0 and is marked 19. As thetransverse subdivisions on the dotted lines it pass centrally throughthe longitudinal slits or cuts m one half of each slit or cut made inthe press becomes a part of one strip 1) and the other half a part ofits immediately contiguous strip, and on the completion of thesubdividing operation each strip 19 is formed at each longitudinal edgewith a series of incisions, cuts, or slits, those of one series beingdirectly opposite those of the other and the card back or design beingprinted centrally between each opposite pair of slits or cuts.

By examining the upper portion of Fig. 7 it will be observed that thecuts m are the same distance from arbitrary points, as q and r, in thedesign or back in each card, the vertical lines .9 and horizontalarrow-headed lines i being used to conveniently exhibit the relationshipof the cuts to given portions of the design. At the lower edge portionof the card the other cuts m are likewise similarly shown as distantfrom selected points, as 'v and w, in the designs, like lines sandtbeing employed to illustrate this effect.

The continuous dotted line w at each card between opposite pairs of cutsshows the line at which the card is to be severed from the strip by theround cornering punch or knife in order to produce a card, such as shownat Fig. 8, with a margin 3 of uniform width extending around the card.As the design is usually printed in color upon a white ground, theborder y may he, therefore, a white margin of uniform width.

In order to show how the cuts are utilized in the subdivisions of thestrips to produce individual cards, such as shown at Fig. 8, ref erencemay now be made to the machine which I have devised for acting upon suchstrips and delivering each card of each strip successively to the punchor cutter in the exact position for blanking out or disconnecting thesame. i r

1 designates the side or end frames of the machine, and 2 the bed-platemounted thereon. Bolted to the rear side of the bed-plate is an upright3, opposite which and also rising from the bed-plate is a curvedstandard 4.

5 is a driving-shaft, mounted in suitable bearings in the upper ends ofthe upright 3 and standard 4 and carrying a pulley 6, by which themovable parts of the machine may be driven through the intervention ofthe usual belt 7. The main shaft 5 is provided with a clutch mechanism 89, one part, 8, being carried by the shaft 5 and the other part beingpivoted at 10 and connected by a rod 11 to a treadle l2, pivoted at thefoot of the machine. The connecting-rod is provided with a weight 13,which tends normally to bring the parts 8 and 9 into engagement toarrest the motion of the shaft 5. When it may be desired to have theshaft 5 revolve, the foot of the operator must keep pressed down thefront end of the treadle, which action effects a separation of the parts8 and 9. This clutch mechanism and its connections are well known andform no part of my present invention. On the shaft 5 is secured abeveled gear 14, which engages another beveled gear 15, mounted at theupper end of an inclined shaft 16, arranged to rotate in boxes orbearings 17 and 18, the former being bolted to the standard 4 and thelatter upon an arm or bracket 19, extending upward from the bed-plate.At the lower end of the shaft 16 is secured a small beveled gear 20,which meshes with a beveled gear 21 on a horizontal counter-shaft 22,mounted in brackets 23, rising from the bed-plate.

At the forward end of the counter-shaft 22 is secured a crank 24, towhich is attached one end of a rod 25, whose opposite end is threaded at26, (see Fig. 22,) and by nuts 27, adjustably connected to a head orblock 28, mounted about centrally of a cross-rod 29, which at its endsis connected to the righthand ends of 1ongitudinally-arranged rods 30,

IIO

(see Figs. 10, 11, and 12,) at their opposite ends provided with sleeves31, which are slipped each upon a stud 32, projecting outwardly from alever or pivoted arm 33, connected to the carriage or carrier,(designated as a whole by the numeral 34 and shown more particularly atFig. 16.) Said carriage consists, essentially, of a cross-bar 35,perforated at its ends, as at 36, to slide upon longitudinal guide-rods37, fixed at each side of the feedtable. From the cross-bar 35 at eachend extends upwardly a pillow or block 38, provided with a bearing 39for a journal or pin 40, which extends outwardly from an arm 41sufficiently for the securement thereto by a screw 42 of the lever 33,which at its lower portion is provided with a depending hook 43; i Thelevers 33 are arranged on the outer sides of the pillows or blocks ofthe carriage and the arms 41 on the inner side thereof, and said leversand arms are adapted to vibrate together under the action of the framecomposed of the rods 29 and 30, which frame is reciprocatcd by therotation of the crank 24, to which it is connected by the rod 25. Eachvibratory arm 41 is provided with an inwardlyextended finger 44-, whichis notched, grooved, or cut away longitudinally, as at 15, to cooperatewith the cuts min the strips, as will be hereinafter more fullyexplained. On each pillow or block is screwed a stop-arm 46, againstwhich the lever 33 strikes to limit the motion of the feed-finger ll inone direction, the motion of the finger and the lever being limited inthe opposite direction by the hook or curved stop 43 and a pin 17,projecting laterally or outwardly from each pillow or block andtraveling in a slot 48 in a bracket 49, screwed or bolted, as at 50, toeach side of a feed-table 51. The pin -17, by contact with the ends ofthe slots 48, also serves to limit the travel of the carriage in bothdirections. The crank 24c is not connected directly to the carriage, butis connected to the arms which vibrate the fingers, and these arms havea movement independent of the carriage. hen the fingers are movingforward, the carriage cannot move backward, and when the fingers aremoving backward the carriage cannot move forward, the carriage beingconfined in its movements by the ends of the slots and the pins 4-7. Thepins 47 prevent the carriage from moving onward by inertia when thecrank has arrived at the horizontal position at each half-revolution.

Slightly above the level of the cross-bar 35, and preferably casttherewith at each end, is a ledge 52, upon which is mounted a flatspring 53, which is slightly curved and secured to the ledge by a screwand steady-pin, as indicated. At the front end of each ledge is a flange54, which cooperates with the notched portion 4L5 of the finger, as willhereinafter be more fully explained. Normally the forward end of thespring stands above the plane of the flange; but when the finger comesaround it depresses the spring and comes to a stop at the flange, whichdoes not act as an abutment, however, the arm 43, previously described,serving to take the strain off the flange.

At the forward or right-hand end of the feed-table is arranged a die 55,with which cooperates a punch or cutter 56, screwed to a plunger, whichslides in ways 57 in the standard i, and is connected at its upper endby adjustable rods 58 to a crank-plate 59 on the main shaft 5. On eachside of the punch 56 are provided two ears 60, through perforations inwhich passes a pin 61, extending upwardly from the stripper 62, andbetween each pair of cars is arranged a spiral spring 63 for keeping thestripper normally down, a cross-pin Get being provided to prevent thelatter from falling off. The stripper is provided at one side with twoupwardly-bent fingers 65, which serve to deflect the leading end of thestrip under the punch. A clamp (36, arranged immediately in front of thedie, is provided to hold the strip down close to the die during thecutting or punching operation, and this clamp is formed on the end of abent arm 67, secured to a rock-shaft (38, extending crosswise of themachine and mounted in bearings in standards 69, bolted to thefeed-table. A spring encircling the rock-shaft is attached at one end tothe hub of the clamping-arm, and at the other end to the bearing of oneof the standards. The cross-shaft is prolonged, as at 71, to extendbeyond the feed-table, and at its rearmost end is provided with adepending forked arm 72, formed in each fork with a slot 73, with whichengages a pin 74, extending laterally from each side of a long squarerod 75, the opposite end of which is provided with anantifriction-roller 7 U to engage with a cam 77 on the counter-shaft 22.The rod slides in guides or bearings 78, and is provided with a coiledspring 79. The cam operates to draw the rod forward or toward the right,thus compressing the spring 79, and during this movement the clamp 66 israised, and at this time the strip is fed. Then the rise of the camleaves the roller on the end of the red, the spring 7 9 moves the rodback to rock the shaft, which carries the clamp, in the reversedirection and bring the clamp down upon the strip again with a force dueto the combined power of the spring on the rod 75 and the spring 70 onthe rock-shaft.

On the rock-shaft and extending toward the left is an arm 80, which isadapted to be actuated by a cam or striker 81, mounted on a cross-shaft82, once to every eight movements of the sliding rod 75, or to everyeight revolutions of the crank-shaft 22, and when thus acted upon thearm 80 effects alifting movement of the clamp and permits theintroduction of a fresh strip, which is brought forward at this momentby the auxiliary feed, as will be presently more fully described.

The shaft 82 is provided with a beveled gear 88, which is driven by abeveled gear 8% on one end of an inclined shaft 85, whose opposite endis provided with a worm-gear 86, which meshes with a worm 87 on theshaft 22. The shaft 82 rotates in bearing 88, secured to a yoked bracket89, which supports the shaft 82 and its attachments. At the front end ofthe shaft 82 is secured a rotatory sector 90, which at certain timescooperates with a feedroller 91, supported in hangers 92, secured to thefeed-table 51.

The feed board or table 51, preferably made of metal, is mounted abovethe bed of the press and extends inwardly to the vertical plane of theinner side of the die.

The feed-table, with all of its attachments, is constructed for lateraladjustments for strips of different widths, the widths of the stripsvarying according to the distance between cards in adjacent rows in theprinted sheet. In some sheets the rows, which subsequently form thestrips, are printed closer together than others, and hence when theserows are severed to form the strips they are of varying widths indifferent sheets, and the center of each design from the top or bottomedge of the card or the sides of the strip would subsequently vary indifferent designs or editions. Therefore if the machine has beenarranged to cut up strips of the minimum width it must be changed oradjusted when strips of greater width are to be cut, in order to havethe center of the design register with the center of the punch and dieif it be desired to have the top and bottom edges of each card bearuniform margins. Hence the feed-table is constructed for lateraladjustment and in the following manner: In the first place, it issupported by standards 93, extending up from the bed-plate of the press,which standards have at their upper ends threaded eyes 94, through whichscrews 95 pass inwardly toward each other and into hearings or centers96, formed at each side of the edge of the feed-table, about midway ofthe length of the same. Thesescrews when turned to the desired positionare set or held by jam-nuts 97. In practice the side edges of thefeed-table at the centers 96 aredistant from the inner edges of thethreaded bearings 94: at the front ends of the standards aboutone-quarter of an inch, and for this reason the feed-table may beadjusted laterally in either direction between such standards by propermovements of the adjusting-screws. The lateral adjustments requiredusually do not exceed one-sixteenth of an inch, and in making theseadjustments the screws are turned one in and one out, according to thedirection in which the table is to be shifted. 1f the mechanism has beenset for feeding the narrowest width of strip, the feed-table must beshifted rearwardly or toward the rod 75. This adjustment of the tablefor strips of dif ferent widths obviates the lateral adjustmentindependently of the side guides for the strips, to be presentlydescribed, and one of which guides is extremely bothersome to adjust;but the capacity of the table for lateral adjustments is provided foranother purpose as wellviz., to effect, in the first instance, a propersetting of the table relatively to the center of the die, and so as tohave the center of each strip coincident with the center of the die, andsubsequently for the accurate resetting of the table relatively to thepunch and die when in course of time it may become necessary to sharpenthe punch and die. The punch and die have to be sharpened occa:sionally, and as this operation requires the table to be entirelyremoved from the bed of the press it has been found advantageous toprovide means for the ready and accurate re setting of the table afterthe sharpening operation. The entire feed-table is alsoadj ustable ina-vertical plane to compensate for wear and sharpening of the die. Thefront end of the feed-table should be on a level with the face of thedie. As the die is worn or cut away this end of the feed-table isdepressed accordingly by turning the table about the pivots opposite thefeed-roller 91. The feed-table is. held firmly by means of two screws 98and 99, Figs. 10, 11, and 12. Through an opening in the strip-lifter100, secured to the feed-table, and through a transverse slot 101 in thefeed-table is passed downwardly the screw 98, whose lower end engages atapped hole in the bed-plate. By turning the screw down the right-handportion of the feed-table is depressed, the whole table rock ing on thescrew-pivots referred to. By turning up the screw 98 the table may ofcourse be oscillated in the opposite direction; but before the table maybe tilted downwardly the screw 99 must be lowered. This screw works in atapped hole in the bed-plate and its upper end simply abuts against thelower side of the feed-table. In connection with the adj usting-screw 98it serves to firmlylock or hold the table in its adjusted position. B yturning the screw 99 down from the under side of the bed-plate the upperend of the screw is carried away from the feed-table, and then thelatter may be tilted or adjusted by turning the screw 98.

102 and 103 are guides for the edges of the strips and are mounted uponthe feed-table. The guide 102, extending for a large portion of thelength of the table, is preferably secured to the table by screws andwithout provision for. independent lateral adjustment. The other guide,103, at the front side of the table is preferably very much shorter inlength and is constructed for lateral adjustments. The adjustable guide103 consists of a vertically-arranged plate or strip 104, from whichextends laterally a threaded pin 105, Fig. 20, which passes through ablock 106, secured to the feed-table by a small screw 107. This block ishollow and contains a coiled spring 108, surrounding the plain portionof the threaded pin and bears at one end against the vertical plate 104.The threaded portion of the pin extends out beyond the block and isprovided with a nut 109 for drawing the vertical guide-plate outwardly.When the nut is unscrewed, the spring forces the plate inwardly. Theplate is provided with flanges 110, that form. a fork to embrace theblock and serve as a guide for the plate in its movements. To the plate.are attached winged guides 111. Guides 112, similar to and opposite 111,are secured to the long fixed guide 102. The spring-pressed verticalplate 104, bearing against the front edge of the cardboard strip, servesto press the rear edge thereof against the fixed guide lightly. If thenext strip should be only a trifle wider, the front edge of the stripmay force the plate 101 outwardly to accommodate the strip, as thespring 108 is of exceedingly light tension and permits the plate toreadily accommodate itself to varying widths of strip, thus providingfor the accurate guiding of the various Widths by the long fixed guide102. When the vertical plate is thus moved outwardly,

the threaded pin upon the stem and the nut ISO of course move with thesame, and if the next strip should be a narrower one the devices willautomatically move together inwardly under the expansion of the spring.The strips are all first fed by hand to a gage 113, which is arrangedbetween the sector 90 and the fingers 44, and this gage consists of aplate 114 and a lateral index or finger 115. The plate is fitted to arectangular notch at one of the rear corners of the strip lifter ordeflector and is provided on its under side with a screw 116, whichpasses down through a longitudinal slot 117 in the feedtable and isprovided on the under side thereof with a clamping-nut 118. Theindex-supporting plate 1141 is prevented from turning by reason of thesquare notch and is held in place against vertical movement by the screwand nut. The second front slit or cut of each incoming strip is firstfed or adjusted to the index or finger 115, as will be hereinafter morefully explained. The slot 117 in the feed-table permits the index to beadjusted lengthwise of the latter, in order that each strip maybe placedin such a position that when it is fed by the sector its slit or cutwill come in the best possible position relatively to thecarriage-fingers 44:.

The strip litter or deflector 100 is screwed upon the feed-table and isbeveled or rounded at each end. It serves to insure the feed of theincoming strip above the plane of the tail end of the outgoing strip toavoid any collision in the feed or damage to the strips. Thisstrip-lifter also assists in leading the forward edge of the strip intothe winged guides. The manner in which the strip-lifter passes theleading end of the incoming sheet above the tail end of the outgoingsheet during the last punching operation will be described hereinafter.

For the purpose of determining the feed of the carriage 34 or the pointsat which it shall stop in its movements the rod 25 is made adjustable.If it be desired to have the carriage travel farther forward or nearerto the die, the nuts 27 are loosened and the block 28 on the cross-rodis moved forward nearer to the crank the desired distance, the carriageat the same time being pulled forward, the plain hole in the blocksliding along over the threaded portion 26, and if it be desired to havethe carriage stop farther back the block is moved in the reversedirection, and in either case after adjustment the nuts are again set upagainst the block to hold the and nut, by loosening which the cross-rodmay be slid through the block to the desired extent or in accordancewith the required amount of sidewise adjustment of the feedtable whichsupports the carriage.

I shall now describe more particularly the mode of operation of themachine and the method of feeding the strips of cardboard and thepunching or cutting out of individual cards.

Figs. 9, 10, 11, and 12 of the drawings show the parts in the samepositions and in readiness to receive a strip. The operator sitsopposite the gage and by hand feeds a strip to the gage, adjusting itthereto preferably by the first nicks or cuts 17?. back of the firstcard, the strip lying between the sector and the roller and with itsrear edge against the guide 102. If the machine be now started, bypressing down the treadle 12 the segment will revolve and feed the stripby its pressure against the roller in a forward direction between thewinged guides until the second pair of cuts of the strip is firmlygrasped by the fingers 44. (In practice I do not use the first pair ofcuts in feeding. If, however, the strip were turned around, the firstpair of cuts would become the last pair, and these would then be used inthe feeding of the last card of the strip.) The fingers firmly graspwhen the grooved portions of the fingers are alongside of the flanges54, the grasping position being indicated at Fig. 29. The lowermostportion or downward lip 45 of each finger presses down the cut portionof the second card of the strip and causes its forward edge to abutagainst the flange 54, while the rear edge or corner of the cut portionof the first card is caused to press against the finger or vertical faceof the lip 45. Thus the strip is prevented from moving in eitherdirection, the finger and the flange alone effecting the locking of thestrip. \Vhen the strip has become thus locked, the sector simultaneouslyceases its feeding operation by passing off the roller, the carriageimmediately commences, its forward movement, and the clamp issimultaneously lifted. The carriage starts forward by reason of theshanks of the levers 33 coming to a bearing against the arms 46 of thecarriage, and by reason of this contact and the pull of the rods 30 bythe rotation of the crank 24 the carriage is caused to travel toward thedie with the strip firmly grasped or held thereon or thereto.

Then the machine is started with the parts in the positions shown atFig. 12, the fingers are vibrated simultaneously with the initialmovement of the sector, and by the time the sector engages the sheet onthe roller the fingers have come to a stop and the carriage isthereafter moved forward during the beginning of the feed of the stripby the sector. By the time the leading end of the strip has been fullyfed by the sector the carriage has completed its forward stroke andreturned with the fingers up ready to engage the first of the strip bythe fingers.

set of cuts back of the first card. This of course occurs only at thestarting of the machine, as thereafter the fingers always engage a setof cuts in their forward travel, and the carriage always moves a cardforward. The leading end of the strip having been adjusted to the gageand to the side guides, it is fed by the sector and roller between thewinged guides up and over the spring-plates 53, with the first set ofcuts back of the first card forward of the fingers. WVhen the fingerscome down, the lip portion of each rides upon the uncut or unniekedsurface of the card and presses the same down against the spring, as ayielding bed, until the forward edge portion of the cut or until therear edge of the forward card lies upon the top of the flange 54, and atthis moment the lip of the finger presses or keeps down the rear portionof the cut or the forward edge of the next succeeding card, which isthus caused to abut against the-face of the flange and prevent any further feed or forward movement of the strip by the fingers, the stripbeing prevented from slipping backward by the finger or specifically bythe vertical face of the lip, as before explained. (SeeFig. 19.)WVhenthecarriage has completed its forward movement and the fingersstart to return, the springs 53 beneath the same operate to throw up thedepressed slit-ted portions of the card above the plane of the flange54C, and thus permit the recession of the carriage. When the carriagewith the strip in the bite or grip of the fingers and flanges has madeits forward excursion, the clamp is brought down, the fingers are thenopened to release the strip, and the carriage then recedes. Just beforethe carriage finishes its return stroke the punch descends and the firstcard of the strip is punched out. \Vhile the punching takes place thecarriage is finishing its return stroke, the clamp is on the strip, andthe next set of cuts or nicks in position to be grasped by the fingerson their next forward vibration, the fingers in returning passing beyondthe plane of the next set of cuts. When the carriage and the fingerscome to the end of their back strokes and about simultaneously with therise of the punch, the fingers start forward again at once, and at aboutthe moment the fingers engage the said set of cuts the clamp rises toallow the forwardmot-ion of the strip under the can rying motion of thefingers until the flanges 54 are reached, and then the carriagerecommenees its forward movement and the second card is brought underthe punch in the manner before explained. During this time the sector isturning around comparatively slowly, since it does not come into actionagain until about the feed of the last card Before the feed of the lastcard commences the operator should have the second strip on the roller,(having adjusted the first set of cuts thereof back of the first cardwith reference to the gage and the edges of the strip with reference tothe side guides.) Immediately the sector cooperates with the roller thesecond strip is fed forward a comparatively long distance until itsleading end has arrived at the position above mentioned with referenceto the leadingend of the first strip, or, in other words, to theposition shown at Fig. 29. WVhen the carriage advances in feedingforward the first card of the second strip, the forward end of thesecond strip is held above the level of the feed-table by means of thestripdeflector and the flanges of the carriage,so that the forward endof the second strip will pass over the rear end of the first strip, andthus avoid any collision between the two strips. hen the stripper on thepunch reaches the last card of the first strip just before the punchingoperation, it acts in a manner to hold said card firmly, and at thismoment the cam or striker 81 operates, through the arm 80, to lift theclamp to allow the advance of the forward end of the second strip, whichat the close of the sector-feed overlaps the tail end of the first stripat about the same time the punch rises and the skeleton of the firststrip falls off from the die. The first card of the second strip is atonce fed to the punch, and the cutting-out operation thus continuesuninterruptedly. As the cards are punched out they descend into a box orreceiver 119 beneath and in front of the bed-plate convenient }to theoperator. The winged guides keep the incomin g strip down to such alevel as that in the return movement of the fingers they must pass abovethe plane of the strip; otherwise the leading end of the incoming stripmight bend or move in an upward direction and be caught and turned backby the receding fingers, thus interfering with the operation of themachine.

Referring to Fig. 18, the carriage is shown at the end of its rearwardmovement and the IIO in alinement with the flanges, the fingers willcarry them positively to the flanges, and hence feed the strip slightlyforward during this motion. When the cuts are in alinement with theflanges 54 and the feed-fingers have arrived at their verticalpositions, as shown at Fig. 19, the strip becomes looked, as it were, toor upon the carriage.

Referring to Fig. 23, the carriage is shown in its rearward position,the fingers vibrated backwardly and upwardly, the punch ascend ing, theclamp down upon the last card of a strip, a succeeding strip set to thefeed-gage, and the sector about to cooperate with the feed-roller tofeed the second strip forward.

Referring to Fig. 24, the carriage is shown in the same position that itoccupies at Fig. 23, the clamp as having been lifted by the cam 77through the intermediate means described, the finger as having beenvibrated downwardly and brought into engagement with the last cuts ofthe outgoing strip, the punch ascending, and the sector as justcommencing to feed the fresh strip forward.

Referring to Fig. 25, the carriage is shown as having been moved forwardits full distance with the fingers still engaging the cuts, the clampstill elevated, the punch descending, and the incoming strip as havingbeen partially fed forward.

Referring to Fig. 26, the carriage is shown as still at its forwardposition, the fingers as disengaged from the outgoing strip, the clampdown upon the rearinost portion of the outgoing strip, the punchdescending, and the incomingstrip as having been fed farther forward.

Referring to Fig. 27, the carriage is shown as returning to its initialposition with the fingers lifted, the clamp as having been raised bymeans of the striker 81, the stripper as bearing down upon the marginsof the last card, the punch as having cut out the last card, (the cardbeing shown in dotted lines,) and the incoming strip as having beenstill farther advanced by the sector.

Referring to Fig. 28, the carriage is shown at its initial position andthe fingers raised, the punch as ascending, the clamp as still elevatedby the striker, and the incoming strip as having been nearly fullyadvanced by the sector.

Referring to Fig. 29, the sector has completed its feed, the carriage isnow in its first position, but the fingers have engaged the cuts back ofthe first card and advanced the same slightly to the flanges of thecarriage, as illustrated at Fig. 19, the clamp is still ele vated, andthe punch is ascending. In short, all of the parts are in condition topermit of the advance of the carriage and the bringing of the first cardof the new strip centrally of the punch and die. Then the carriagefinishes its forward stroke, the clamp is released by the striker, thefingers release the strip, and the first card is held firmly to be cutout by the punch, which now descends, the carriage meanwhile returningto its normal position in readiness to feed the next card forward afterthe punching action. After the striker releases the clamp (which it isabout to do at Fig. 29) it does not coact with the same again until thelast card of the strip (shown at Fig. 29) is punched out.

For the purpose of more clearly explaining my improvements and theimportance ofthe cuts and the feeding of the fingers independently ofthe carriage the following is added,

viz: Say, for example, that the cards when printed are exactly threeinches apart from center to center and that the carriage is arranged tomove each time exactly three inches. Now if the strip bearing the cardsshould expand (say one-half of an inch) the cards would become unequallyspaced or would not be. equidistant from center to center or not exactlythree inches apart at centers, the expansion occurring from the centerof the strip toward the ends. Now if the cards were fed solely by thecarriage and three inches every time it is plain that the punch wouldnot divide the cards equally or so cut them as to leave uniform margins.WVith the cuts m in the strips and the fingers 44 a preliminary feed ismade (if necessary, on account of expansion) and each cut is placed at agiven point on the carriage, and hence each card is placed exactly inthe same position on the carriage. Therefore when the carriage feeds andthe punch descends each card is blanked out alikethat is, with the samemargins. It is immaterial, therefore, how much expansion takes place orwhether the distance between the centers of the first and second cardsof the strip is three and one-eighth inches, that between the second andthird cards three and one-sixteenth inches, and that between the thirdand fourth cards three and one thirty-second inches, because thedistances are adjusted or provided for by the cuts and fingers beforethe successive cards are delivered to the carriage-that is to say, ifthe first card does not register with the flanges of the carriage beforethe carriage takes the card to the punch the fingers move the stripforward by engagement until the cuts do register with the flanges. Thenthe carriage with the card properly placed moves toward the punch anddelivers the card to the die with the center of the card in line withthe center of the punch and die. Now the second card to be cut may notcome naturally to the same place 011 the carriage that the first cardwas delivered at, and if it should not the fingers will by engagementwith the third set of cuts (or the cuts which govern the feed of thesecond card) move the strip slightly forward until the cuts aline withthe flanges, and hence the second card will be delivered at the requiredplace 011 the carriage and at exactly the same point at which the firstcard was delivered. The preliminary feed for the second card may be lessthan that for the first card, and the said preliminary feed may vary forall of the cards, but whatever amount of preliminary feed may be neededfor any card (and which is always slight) the fingers will readilyeffect. It will happen at times that the cuts will register naturallywith the flanges of the carriage, and in such cases the fingers performsimply their locking or gripping functions. )Vhen the fingers bear downon the strip, they sometimes move the same forward by friction andsimultaneously press down the stock immediately back of the cuts, sothat the rearedge portions of the cuts are brought against the flangesor abutments before the fingers engage or arrive at the cuts. When thisoccurs, the fingers continue to move (after such positive stoppage ofthe strip by the flanges) until the lowermost portions of the fingersarrive at the cuts, when they cooperate with the front edge portions ofthe cuts to prevent any backing of the strip. For convenience the cutsor other formations are made midway of the space between the contiguouscards, but they may of course be arranged at other localities, as on theedges of the unsevered cards, since they are left in the ske1e v ton orframe and after assisting in the feed of the cards perform no additionaloffice.

From the foregoing description it will therefore be seen that the cuts,nicks, notches, slits, indentations, embossing, or analogous formationsor alterations in the strip serve to define or govern the feed of thecards and render it possible to produce cards with uniform or equalmargins. By the physical alterations in the sheet or strip provision ismade for a variable feed of the material, so that successiveunequally-spaced portions thereof to be operated upon may with greatprecision be brought to or arrested at a predetermined or given positionor locality.

The various operations as I prefer to carry them out involve thefollowing steps; but I do not wish to be limited to all of the stepswhich I prefer to employ, as some of them may be used without others andare new per 56: A sheet of cardboard isformed with a series of cuts,incisions, or the like, preferably during the printing of the backs ofthe cards in the sheet. The sheet is then out into strips, so as toproduce a plurality of sets of cuts or incisions at the longitudinaledges, preferably, of each strip. The series of sets of cuts of eachstrip are then successively seized or engaged, and by this means thestrip is moved forward to a given point. Each of the cuts is thenemployed to hold the strip in its new position and while itis beingmoved to another given locality. Then the strip is clamped, the cutsreleased, the strip subjected to the required operation or treatment andthen unclamped or released for another double feed in connection withsaid cuts.

My improvements may be used to feed any kind of material in sheet orstrip form, and hence I do not wish to be limited altogether to the useof paper or cardboard and to the manufacture of playing-cards. Thefingers may of course be of other shape or construction than thatshownas, for instance, plain or flat sides without the groove and lip.In fact,in different machines I employ both kinds of fingers. Bygrooving the fingers as shown the forward cut portions of the cards areprevented from unduly rising by the overhanging ledges or shoulders atright angles to the lips.

Various other changes in detail construction and arrangement of parts ofthe machine may be made without departing from the spirit of myimprovements.

WVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As an improvement in the art of manufacturing playing-cards from asheet or strip of cards having a series of unequally-spaced stopformations,the combination of means for moving the sheet or stripintermittently-varv ing but previously-unascertainable distances andbringing the stop formations always -to a given point, and meanscooperating with said stop formations to automatically determine orgovern the amount of the successive movements, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination, in a machine for operating upon an unequally-spacedsheet or strip having a series of engaging portions formed therein,mechanism for intermittently varithereof all brought to the same pointor locality, substantially as set forth.

3. In an intermittent feeding mechanism for operating upon a sheet orstrip having engaging portions, the combination with the feedingmechanism, and means for cooperating with said engaging portions andthereby independently adjusting the sheet or strip, whereby the latteris moved varying distances and the un equally-spaced portions thereofall brought to the same point or locality, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a carrriage, and

means for engaging cut portions in a strip and delivering successiveportions of the strip to a given point on said carriage before saidcarriage commences its movement, substantially as set forth. 5. Thecombination of a carriage and fingers thereon for engaging cut portionsof a strip and delivering successive parts of said strip to a givenpoint on said carriage before said carriage commences its movementsubstantially as set forth. I

6. The combination of a carriage, and a pair of vibratory fingersmounted thereon and adapted to engage out portions of a strip containinga plurality of unequally-spaced playing-cards and feed the samesuccessively to a given point on said carriage before it commences itsmovement, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of a carriage provided with a flange, and a finger tocooperate with said flange and the cut portions of an unequally-spacedstrip of material whereby said strip is adjusted properly upon saidcarriage before the latter commences its movement, substantially as setforth.

8. The combination of a carriage provided with a pair of flanges, and apair of fingers to cooperate with the flanges and cut portions of anunequally-spaced strip of material whereby said strip is properlyadjusted 011 said carriage before the latter commences its movement,substantially as set forth.

9. The combination of a carriage provided with a pair of verticalflanges and a pair of vibratory arms having each a lateral. finger,substantially as set forth.

10. The combination of a carriage having a pair of flanges and a pair ofsprings and a pair of vibratory arms having each a stripmoving finger,substantially as set forth.

ll. The combination of a carriage, means for reciprocating the same, avibratory stripmoving finger mounted on said carriage, and means formoving said finger forming a part of the carriage-moving means andoperating in advance of the carriage-moving means to move the stripbefore and independently of the carriage, substantially as setforth.

12. The combination of a carriage, a pair of vibratory arms providedeach with a stripmoving finger mounted on said carriage, a pair oflevers connected to said arms, and means attached to said levers forboth vibrating said arms and moving said carrier, the said strip-movingfingers being arranged to move before and independently of the carriageand to adjust the strip properly upon the latter, substantially as setforth.

13. The combination of a carriage, a pair of vibratory arms mountedthereon and provided each with a strip-moving finger, a pair of leversattached to said arms, and a reciprocating frame attached to said leversfor first vibrating said arms and adjusting the strips properly upon thecarriage and then moving said carrier, substantially as set forth.

14. The combination of a carriage, a pair of vibratory arms mountedthereon and provided each with a strip-moving finger operating to adjustthe strip upon the carriage before the latter commences to move, a pairof levers connected to said arms, abutments on said carriage, rodsattached to said levers, and a crank for reciprocating said rods,substantially as set forth.

15. The combination of a carriage, a pair of vibratory arms mountedthereon and provided each with a strip-moving finger operating to adjustthe strip upon the carriage before the latter commences to move, a pairof levers connected to said arms, means for moving said levers, andstops in front and in rear of said levers, substantially as set forth.

16. The combination of a carriage, a pair of vibratory arms mountedthereon and provided each with a strip-moving finger operatin g toadjust the strip upon the carriage be fore the latter commences to move,a pair of levers connected to said arms and provided each with a hook, apin to cooperate with said hook, an abutment in front of each lever, anda reciprocating rod connected to each lever, substantially as set forth.

17. The combination of a carriage provided with a pair of vibratory armshaving each a strip-moving finger, a lever connected to each said arm,an abutment in front of said lever, a stationary guide, and an abutmentin rear of said lever for limiting its backward movement, and projectingfrom said carriage to cooperate with said guide and limit the rearwardmovement of said carriage, and means for moving said levers,substantially as set forth.

18. The combination with a carriage provided with flanges, a pair ofvibratory arms having each a finger provided with a lip, levers formoving said arms and fingers, foreand-aft stops for said fingers, meansfor vibrating the said levers and moving said carriage, and means forguiding and arresting said carriage, substantially as set forth.

19. The combination of a carriage having a pair of vibratorystrip-adjusting fingers, a reciprocatory frame connected to saidfingers, a stop therefor and for the strip a crank, and an adjustablecrank-rod connected to said frame, substantially as set forth.

20. The combination of a carriage having a pair of vibratory fingers, areciprocatory frame connected to said fingers and com posed oflongitudinal rods and a cross-rod, an ad justable head or block on saidcross-rod, a crank, and a crank-rod connected to said head or block,substantially as set forth.

21. The combination of a carriage having a pair of vibratory fingers, areciprocatory frame connected to said fingers and composed oflongitudinal rods and a cross-rod, an adjustable head or block on saidcross-rod, a crank, and an adjustable crank-rod, substan tially as setforth.

22. The combination of a carriage having a pair of vibratory arms, apair of strip-moving fingers, a pair of levers, a reciprocatory frameconnected to said levers, and composed of longitudinal rods and across-rod, an adjustable block or head on said cross-rod, a crank, andan adjustable crank-rod, substantially as set forth.

23. The combination of a feedtable provided with longitudinal guide-rodsand with slotted side brackets, a carriage composed of a cross-bar,perforated at or near each end, pillows, guide-pins, abutments, flanges,and springs, a pair of vibratory arms having each a grooved finger, apair of levers connected to said arms and provided each with a hook, apair of reciprocating rods, united bya crossrod, a block on saidcross-rod, a crank-rod, and a crank, substantially as set forth.

24. The combination with a feed-table provided with longitudinalguide-rods and with slotted side brackets, a carriage composed of across-bar perforated at or near each end, pillows, guide-pins,abutments, flanges, and springs, a pair of vibratory arms having each agrooved finger, a pair of levers connected to said arms and providedeach with a hook, a pair of reciprocating rods, united bya crossrod, ablock adjustable on said cross-rod, an adjustable crank-rod, and acrank, substantially as set forth.

25. The combination with a punch and die,

of a horizontally-pivoted feed-table, and adjusting and retaining screws98 and 99 engaging tapped holes in the bed-plate and opposing eachother, substantially as set forth.

2G. The combination with a punch and die, of a feed-table held by meansof screw-pivots, whereby the table may be elevated or lowered at itsforward end and also adjusted laterally, substantially as set forth.

27. The combination with a feed-table, of the guide 104, the threadedstem, the spring, and the nut, substantially as set forth.

28. The combination with a feed-table, a re cessed block securedthereto, the guide 104 having flanges 110, the screw-stem, the spring,and the nut, substantially as set forth.

29. The combination witha feed-table, a recessed block secured thereto,the guide 104. having flanges 110, wings 111, the screw-stem, thespring, and the nut, substantially as set forth.

30. The combination of a feed-table provided with a feed-roller, afeed-sector, a punch and die, means for raising and lowering the punch,means for moving the carriage back and forth, and means for rotatingsaid sector connected to the means for moving the carriage and geared ina manner to produce a comparatively slow movement of said sector,whereby the carriage may be moved back and forth a number of times toone complete revolution of the sector, substantially as set forth.

31. The combination of a feed-table provided with a feed-roller, afeed-sector mounted on a cross-shaft, a carriage, a crank connected tosaid carriage for moving the same back and forth, a crank-shaft, and acountershaft geared to the sector-shaft and to the crank-shaft so as tobe driven by the latter and in a manner to drive the sector-shaft at aless rate of speed than the crank-shaft, substantially as set forth.

32. The combination of a punch and die, a reciprocatory carriage, afeed-table, a rockshaft, a clamping-arm thereon, a spring connected atone end to a fixed piece and at its opposite end to said elamping-arm, adependin g forked and slotted arm connected to said rock-shaft, a rodprovided with lateral pins arranged in the slots of said forked arm, acam for moving said rod in one direction, and a means for moving it inthe other direction, substantially as set forth.

The combination of a punch and die, a reciprocatory carriage, afeed-table provided with a feed-roller, a feed-sector mounted 011 across-shaft, a clamping-arm mounted on a rock-shaft, the arm 80 mountedon said rockshaft, and the cam or striker 011 the sectorshaft,substantially as set forth.

34. The combination with a punch and die, of a reciprocatory carriage, afeed-table provided with afeed-roller, a feed-sector, a rockshaft, aclamping-arm thereon, means for holding said clamping-arm raised duringeach forward movement of the carriage, means for holding said clamp downduring each return movement of the carriage, and the arm 80 and cam orstriker 81 for holding up the clamp during the insertion of a freshstrip, substantially as set forth.

35. The combination with a punch and die, of a reciprocatory carriage, afeed-table, and a fixed plate 100 thereon adapted to lift the forwardend of an oncoming strip and cause it to overlie the rearend of thestrip being operated upon by the punch and die, substantially as setforth.

36. The combination with a longitudinallyslotted feed-table, of agage-plate 114 having a gage-finger 115, the screw 116, and nut 118,substantially as set forth.

37. The combination with a die, of a punch provided with guiding-ears, astripper provided with upwardly-extending fingers and guiding-pins, anda spiral springsurroundin g each of said pins and arranged between saidguiding-ears, substantially as set forth.

38. The combination of a punch and die, a feedtable, a reciprocatorycarriage, the independently-movable fingers thereon for engaging cuts ina strip of cards and bringing each card successively to its properposition on said carriage, means for then moving the said carriage whilethe fingers are held in engagement with said cuts toward the punch anddie and delivering the foremost card of the strip in proper positionrelatively to said punch and die, a clamp for then holding said strip,111 eans for then disengaging said fingers from said strip and movingthem rearwardly to cooperate with the next cuts of the strip, means forbringing down the punch and cutting out the foremost card while thestrip is held by the clamp, means for returning the carriage while thelast operation is taking place, and means for raising the clamp at thecompletion of the cutting-out operation, substantially as set forth.

39. The combination, in a machine for operating upon a sheet or stripcontaining a plurality of cards and having a series of cuts, means fordelivering the cards of the strip suecessively to a reciprocatingcarrier and cooperating with said cuts to deliver the cards of the stripat exactly the proper place on the carrier, means for holding each saidcard accurately in position during the movement of the carrier, and acutting mechanism for removing one card at a time from the strip,substantially as set forth.

40. The combination, in a machine for operating upon a sheet or striphaving unequallyspaced slits or cuts, of a main carriage-feed, and anindependent fin ger-feed, the combined throw or movement of thecarriage-feed and the finger-feed being greater than the distance apartof said slits or cuts, substantially as set forth.

'41. The combination, in a machine for operating upon a sheet or striphaving cuts or slits formed therein, of a stop, and a feedfinger adaptedto engage with each slit or cut in the sheet or strip and move it to thesaid stop and cause one edge of the slit or cut to abut against saidstop, substantially as set forth.

42. In a machine for operating upon a sheet or strip havingunequally-spaced engaging portions, the combination of a stop or stopsand means for intermittently feeding the said engaging portions againstsaid stop or stops; substantially as set forth.

43. In a machine for operating upon a sheet or strip havingunequally-spaced engaging portions, means for engaging said engagingportions and variably mechanically moving or adjusting said sheet orstrip so as to bring the successive portions thereof all to a givenpoint or locality, and means for intermittently feeding the sheet orstrip; substantially as set forth.

44;. In a machine for operating upon a sheet or strip of material havingunequally-spaced engaging portions, means for feeding the same and meansfor cooperating with said engaging portions and thereby independentlyand variably adj ustin g the sheet or strip, whereby the latter is movedvarying distances and the unequally-spaced. portions thereof all broughtto the same point orlocality; substantially as set forth.

45. In a machine for operating upon a sheet or strip havingunequally-spaced engaging portions formed therein, a feeding mechanismadapted to intermittently engage with each engaging portion andpositively advance the sheet or strip, the said feed mechanism beingconstructed and arranged to en gage with said engaging portions atdifferent points in the path of travel of the feed mechanism, andthereby compensate for the varying distances of the engaging portions,and hence automatically feed the sheet or strip variable distances andbring each engaging portion at each advance always to the same point orlocality; substantially as set forth.

46. The combination in a machine for operatin g upon a sheet or striphaving unequallyspaced cuts or slits formed therein, of a feedingmechanism for advancing the sheet or strip, and a stop; said feedingmechanism being constructed and arranged to advance the sheet or stripto the said stop and cause one edge of the cut or slit to abut againstsaid stop; substantially as set forth.

47. In a machine for operating upon a sheet or strip havingunequally-spaced cuts or slits formed therein, the combination of afeeding device adapted to bend the stock on one side of the slit or cutout of the plane of the sheet or strip, and to engage the remaining edgeportion of the slit or cut, and thereby move or adjust the sheet orstrip; substantially as set forth.

4:8. Ina machine for operating upon a sheet or strip havingunequally-spaced cuts or slits formed therein, the combination of ayieldin g bed or support, a feeding device adapted to bend the stock onone side of the slit or cut out of the plane of the sheet or strip andto engage the remaining edge of the slit or cut and move or adjust thesheet or strip, and a stop to serve as an abutment to the bent edge ofthe slit or cut and thus arrest the movement of the sheet or strip;substantially as setforth.

Signed at city of New York, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, this 31st day of July, A. D. 1893.

ALBERT A. COHEN.

'Witn esses:

JACOB HARTMANN, Jr., J. R. HEATH.

